refrigerating tomato paste

[phoebe]

How long can canned tomato paste be kept in a plastic container in the refrigerater?

[katbalou]

dear phoebe,
i wouldn't think too long. perhaps you could put it in the freezer.
kat

[cape chef]

Phoebe,

Athough there's acid in the tomato paste,the % of natural sugar is quite high.This is a perfect vehicle for fermantation (not the fun kind)

I would say a week is a safe bet.

[chef1x]

If you keep it in the back bottom shelf of a home refrigerator (even in LA), And press some plastic wrap directly against the paste, blocking out all air, wrap it again, you can probably drag that time out a lot more. If you're like me , even the smallest can of tom paste is more than you need at once. Freezing works, but then again, if you defrost the whole thing..... I've actually done this many times and never experienced a big problem, you will generally KNOW by sight and smell if it's gone off.

[phatch]

You can get tomato paste in a tube for just this reason. I haven't seen it since I was in Germany, but I hear about it in the States every now and then. Just not in my area.

Phil

[phoebe]

Kat, CC, and Chef1x,
Thanks for the help. Now all I have to do is remember when it was that I put it in the fridge! Those brain cells are marching off to the boneyard faster every day (sigh)

Phil,
Why wouldn't the tube of tomato paste have the same problem? Why would it keep longer?
Now you have to understand that I am one of those people who squeezes toothpaste from wherever I grab it when I pick it up.
But I would make an effort to roll it up from the bottom if that would help me keep from wasting so much paste (tomato, that is).

[kokopuffs]

Offered at SUR LA TABLE are several different brands of tubed tomato paste. I've had mine opened but capped and on the shelf for at least one year and it tastes fine, neither rotten nor fermented.

Your experience with opened and capped paste may differ and I take no liability in the matter.

[foodnfoto]

I think I learned this tip from one of Heloise's columns about 10 years ago and it always works great.
After you open a can of tomato paste, stick the whole thing in the freezer. Once frozen, cut the bottom off the can with your can opener. Run a little warm water over the sides of the can and push the tube of paste through. You'll end up with a nice little cylinder of tomato paste. Plop it in a resealable freezer bag (Ziplock or the like) and keep it on the door shelf of you freezer. When you need it, just slice off the required amount, then toss the remainder back in the deep freeze. Keeps for about 3 months.

Note-mine lives right next to my little ziplock that holds my Brillo pads. The freezer keeps the scouring pads from rusting and making a mess around the sink. The extra firmness from the frozen soap really works well to get that stubborn stuck-on food off pots and pans.

[phatch]

The tubes solve the problem of air contact and contamination. When you take normal canned paste and put it in plastic, you get air contact plus whatever spores are on the plastic.

The tube is sterile at packing and remains sterile as the product is used. Except for the small bit at the cap end which seems to be little enough that use can keep up with it's exposure issues.

There is also no air in the tube as there is around the paste when stored in the plastic tub. Better keeping power.

Phil

[brreynolds]

As an addendum to Phil's suggestion of tomato paste in a tube, it should be pretty widely available (in my area, grocery stores commonly carry it). But it is several times as expensive as the canned stuff. I think the price comparison here is something like $3.00 a tube against $.89 and up per can, depending on brand. Given that 300% or more price differential, it could be about the same cost to you to go ahead and save cans as long as possible, and then just toss them. You'd have to use tomato paste fairly rarely to make the tube be the cheaper alternative.

[chef1x]

foodnfoto, that is one of the most awesome tricks I've heard in a long time, I might actually try that! I have seen the tube thing, but I agree the cost is prohibitive.

And even more so, the brillo pad solution is pure genius! I would never have thought... truly priceless info. My GF gets annoyed 'cause I always throw them out after one use. Just wait and see now.

Thanks for true innovation

[Jock]

For short term refrigerator storage of canned paste I top off the can with EVO to keep the air out

Jock

[phatch]

I learned the EVO trick from Helen Witty. I still didn't use it fast enough.

Anyway, I went to the store specifically to look for the tubed tomato paste. I found it off by the pasta, not by the tomatoes.

It was 2.89 and "double concentrated". This got me thinking about the economy argument as you would now need 6 cans of paste to play the equal cost game. On sale, the cans win, but at normal prices, this looks interesting.

Better yet, there are many forms of ecnonomy. For those times you only need a bit, the tube is good to have around. But there is nothing to prevent you from using the cans when you need a bunch too and you get the best of both worlds.

They had some other interesting tubes there. They had a roasted pepper paste and a sun-dried tomato paste. Anyone ever tried those sorts of products? How were they?

Phil

[Athenaeus]

Originally posted by Jock
For short term refrigerator storage of canned paste I top off the can with EVO to keep the air out

Jock

Of course! This is how you can keep it even out of the fridge. Don't be afraid to try it. I can guarantee you that!

[Pongi]

Concentrated tomato paste in tubes is very popular in Italy...directly coming from the good old times when we had no refrigerators
Although it's cheaper than in US (a tube usually costs less than $ 1 ) the cost is higher than the canned tomato paste due to the fact that it's more concentrated. Basically we have two different types of tomato paste in tubes, a plain one (only tomato and salt) and a "sauce" one (tomato, vegetables, spices) that is tastier and has a higher price.
Generally, the first one is not used to season pasta but to give an additional taste to gravies and sauces instead of fresh tomato puree. The second one can be also used alone.
If you can find it, the very best Italian brand for both (plain and seasoned) is MUTTI.

Pongi